


Home Isn't Just a Place

by Catsired



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: All kinds of kisses, Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Crying, Dan loves to act, Domestic Fluff, Don't be scared child, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nothing serious, Pastel Dan and Punk Phil, Phil has some self esteem issues, Phil is into Filmmaking, Roommates, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, YouTube, but it's okay Dan's here to help, slight emotional angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 06:16:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsired/pseuds/Catsired
Summary: Dan Howell, the cute pastel boy with a dark sense of humor, decides to go to art school after being pushed to make a decision. Dan's really missing home, but his parents urge him explore and find what he likes to do, where his passion lies, and so Dan fully expects to be returning home with a meaningless degree. What he doesn't expect, however, is to develop feelings for his mysterious punk roommate Phil, the boy with the dark clothes and the smile brighter than the sun. However, Phil rarely smiles, and suddenly Dan finds his priorities a little skewed.





	1. Leaving Home

**Author's Note:**

> I have a bad habit of talking myself out of writing and drawing and those kinds of things even though I love to do them, so if I don't update pester me don't be afraid. Anyway, I really hope you like it and if you want another chapter let me know! Enjoy! <3

Dan's head felt heavy, pressed into something soft and fluffy beneath him. Feeling comfortable, he unconsciously pulled the blankets tighter around his body, but the movement drew him out of unawareness a little more, and suddenly he could hear a distant, but persistent beeping noise. The sound dragged him from the cozy den of sleep and pulled him back into reality. Groaning, he opened his eyes and glared at the evil object that dare to disturb his beauty sleep. He did nothing more than glare, though, as the sound was coming from his phone and he would much rather not have a broken phone. So instead, he grabbed it gently, flinching away as his face drowned in it's light.

"Uuuugh," he let out an audible groan, turning the alarm off with a quick swipe of his thumb.

He put the phone back up on the side table, and before he had a chance to talk himself into going back to sleep, he sat up. Pulling back the blankets, he got up from the bed and moved over to the bedroom door, opened it slightly and peered out, looking for any signs of life in the hallway. When there were no such signs, he quietly slipped out of his room and slinked down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, he stepped further in, facing the mirror. He looked like shit; his hair absolutely wild, sticking up everywhere, not to mention he looked like he'd gotten 2 hours of sleep at the most. He chuckled a bit at his reflection as he wet his toothbrush and made a half-hearted attempt at fixing his hair with his hand.

After he brushed his teeth and brushed his hair, he returned to his room to get on to the more important things: Clothes and packing. Today was the day he was finally leaving his home town and the house he grew up in to move into a dorm in someplace he'd never been with someone he'd never met. Just the thought gave him those anxious butterflies, so he decided to not think about it too much. He pulled out some clothes and laid them out on his bed, mixing and matching different outfits until he had found a set he liked. He then shrugged on his favorite pastel pink sweatshirt and some light pastel yellow skinny jeans to match. Finally, he placed the white and pink flower crown on his head and posed for the mirror, scrutinizing his outfit. Perfect.

Before he could even move from his spot in front of the mirror, there was a loud knock on his door that sent him flailing backwards.

"AAH!" He practically yelped, instinctively putting a hand behind him to catch himself. "What the hell?"

He huffed as he heard laughter from behind the door. The door then opened to reveal the person laughing, his eyes crinkled up with the laughter.

"Adrian, it's literally 7am on a Saturday. Why the hell are you up?"

Adrian rolled his eyes and leaned against the door, "Well, for one, I'm not nocturnal like you, and secondly, I thought I should probably be awake to say farewell to my brother when he leaves for college today," He shot him a cheeky smile and he couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

"Alright, well now that you've made your entrance, get over here and help me off my ass please," He held out his hand and Adrian took it, lifting him to his feet.

Packing took a lot longer than he had originally anticipated, and by the time he was downstairs and was saying goodbye to his family, he'd fallen 10 minutes behind schedule. His mom planted a kiss on his cheek and hugged him close. Then, she was sending him off with a list of everything he needed to do once he got there, at least a dozen hugs, and a thousand "I love you!"s.

The front door closed behind him and soon enough he was walking out to his uber, putting all his luggage in the trunk before settling into the backseat. He told the driver where to go and plugged in his headphones, turned up his music and leaned his head against the window. He watched as the house he grew up in got smaller and smaller as he was driven away until he couldn't see it anymore. Immediately, a sense of longing clawed at the walls of his chest and he sighed, turning up his music. He got lost in Matt Bellamy's voice and soon the world around him faded.

* * *

 

He was jostled awake by a knock on the window next to him and his head snapped up to meet the tired eyes of the driver.

"You're here. Do you need help getting your luggage?" He sounded about as bored as you can get, so Dan spared him and told him no. After paying him and slowly removing the boxes from the trunk, Dan waved as he drove away. Slowly, he stacked up the boxes (He didn't have many, as all he really had time to pack was some basic toiletries, pillows, a few posters, and his laptop).

Despite the boxes not being very heavy, he was panting and sweating by the time he got his keys and was practically dead when he finally reached his dorm-room door. He felt like a cartoon character, having run around the building like a lost child (which honestly he was) until he found his dorm. Instead of going inside, though, he simply plopped down on his ass and leaned his head against the door to try and catch his breathe.

Okay. So he was in college. He was right outside his dorm. The dorm where he would be spending at least two years. The longing feeling in his chest returned, and before he had a chance to think about it, the door supporting him was opened and he fell flat on his back, letting out a pathetic yelp as he fell.

Opening his mouth ready to sass someone, he looked up straight into ocean-blue eyes. They were outlined with dark black eyeliner and stared down at him with surprise and confusion. Before the situation could get awkward, he picked himself up off the ground and turned to face the guy. Dan let his eyes travel the man's body, his eyes widening a bit in surprise. He was wearing a leather jacket with a black T-shirt underneath and the tightest damn black skinny jeans he'd ever seen. Drawing his eyes back up to his face, he noticed he had some piercings: a lip ring, gauges, and a nose ring. His hair was jet black, save for the tint of blue on his fringe. However, his eyes were especially drawn to a dragon tattoo that traveled up the side of his neck and even a little ways onto his jaw.

"Um? Who are you?" The guy spoke, his deep voice jostling Dan from his thoughts for the second time in the last five minutes alone.

He could feel his cheeks burning as he realized he'd been staring, "I- um- hi, my name is Dan. I- This is my dorm. I'm assuming your my roommate? Since you were in the room?" He mentally slapped himself for sounding like an idiot.

The guy smirked a little, seemingly amused, and leaned against the door frame, eyeing him. Dan felt the need to move as the man dragged his eyes over the flower crown, the curly hair, and the outfit. Dan was beginning to feel uncomfortable when he finally spoke up. "I'm Phil, and yeah I'm your roommate," He nodded at him slightly and then turned away, walking farther into the room. Dan stared after him for a second before gathering up his boxes in his arms and entering the room, setting them down on his bed.

He could hear the punk boy, Phil, sighing as he plopped down on his bed behind him. Dan tried to concentrate on the box in front of him, but kept finding himself distracted by the thought of spending the rest of his time here with Phil. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but he had a feeling this might turn out to be a pretty interesting couple of years.


	2. First Days and Awkward Silences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of classes and Phil doesn't exactly make a good first impression. Dan makes some new friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos! It means a lot to me ^^ Please enjoy!

Dan was slowly dragged out of sleep by the sound of his alarm, that incessant beeping that he'd grown to despise. He sat up slowly and turned it off, groaning a bit. He's confused about where he is for a second before remembering, and immediately he turns his head to look at where his roommate should be, but he's not there.

 He's confused for a second before he realizes there's water running. Assuming he's taking a shower, Dan takes the opportunity to look at his side of the room. He's surprised to see he has a lot of the same posters Dan does. Among other things, there's Muse, Crash Bandicoot, Totoro, Fall Out Boy, and... the Sims 4?

 Dan decides not to question it and stands up, deciding he's going be a good roommate and get breakfast for the both of them while Phil was in the shower. Dan took a couple minutes to wake up and brush his hair into submission before he left the dorm and headed downstairs.

 He smiles politely at those he sees even though most of them just ignore him.

 Most of them.

 Dan sees a woman come out of her room with a cheery smile on her face, and even though it's literally the butt-crack of dawn, she has on a full face of makeup, her blonde hair curled, and is dressed in actual clothes, not just pajamas.

 He smiles and waves at her with as much energy as he can muster at this time of morning, which isn't much, but seemed enough to inspire her, as within a second she's walking right up next to him, smiling and looking at him with wide, cheery eyes.

 "Helloooo! Who are you? You look quite tired, did you not sleep at all last night?" She had a smooth, accented voice and the sound immediately brought a smile to his face. Who was this woman?

 "Oh, I'm so stupid I haven't even introduced myself yet! I'm Louise, nice to meet you...?" She put her hand out in front of him and looked at him expectantly. He chuckled lightly as he shook her hand.

 "I'm Dan. You seem way too happy to be here, I think you got too much sleep," even though he'd just met her, he felt like he'd known her for years, and joking around came easily. She chuckled at that and slapped playfully at his arm.

"Oh shut up, of course I'm happy to be here. Are you not?" Dan simply shrugged.

 He was to an extent, he was finally doing something with his life, even if he didn't exactly know what that something was yet, but he felt really homesick. That longing in chest never really faded, and he had to battle it all night long. He had a feeling Phil had noticed, but if he did, he didn't say anything, which he was kind of glad for. He didn't really want to be spilling any of his thoughts to his very intimidating roommate which he'd barely spoken a few sentences to.

 He must've been thinking harder than he thought, because when he was brought back to reality, Louise had left his side and he was standing in the kitchen.

 

 By the time he got back with the food, Phil was out of the shower, dressed, and on his laptop on his bed. He didn't even glance up at Dan when he walked in. Dan was grateful, but at the same time he'd lost a lot of confidence.

 "Uh, Phil? I made some pancakes. If you want some," He sounded so unsure and he absolutely hated it. He didn't have time to ponder on it, though, as he practically turned into a puddle when Phil simply looked at him, unamused.

 Phil turned back to his laptop without saying a word, and suddenly Dan had his confidence back, if only momentarily, as irritation took precedence over his emotions. He'd taken the time to go and make them something, the least the guy could do was acknowledge him!

 "Alright, fine, I'll just set it down then," He commented with an annoyed tone as he set the plate down on the guy's side table. He didn't look at him, afraid he'd be sent another glare or something and would turn back into a puddle.

 The rest of the morning went slow, eating, taking a shower, getting dressed, gathering his things for class, etc. By the time he was done with everything, it was nearly time for classes.

 He glanced behind him and saw that Phil was already gone. What really caught his eye, though, was the empty plate on Phil's side table. Phil must've eaten it while he was in the shower. Dan started to feel a little flattered, but immediately pushed that emotion away when he remembered how rude Phil was when he brought it in in the first place. He could've at least said thank you!

 Huffing, Dan picked up his bag and went to pick up his phone. He stopped short when he saw a small, folded slip of paper sitting on top of his phone. He moved his bag up to rest on his shoulder as he picked it up and unfolded it with both of his hands.

 

_"Thank you for the pancakes._

_-Phil"_

 

 Well. That was unexpected. Dan tucked the note into his back pocket, feeling a little proud of himself for doing a good deed. Still, though, he felt that prickling irritation in his gut. The note was better than nothing, sure, but couldn't he have at least smiled at him? Something?

 Dan simply shook his head and grabbed his phone, heading out of the dorm and making his way out onto the campus.

 

  _The campus._ So big and confusing Dan swore he would get a migraine before he figured out this fucking map. After running around aimlessly for for ten minutes, he gave up and sat down on the edge of the main fountain. He was still trying to make sense of the map when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

 Looking up, he was met with the same beautiful eyes he'd seen just the other day. Phil looked expressionless, almost annoyed, but when he spoke, he didn't sound bored or annoyed in the slightest.

 "Do you need help? You've passed me three times in the last ten minutes," He remarked, shoving his hands into his pockets. Dan blinked stupidly up at him for a second before standing up to level their eyes.

 "I- yeah," Dan sighed in defeat as Phil took the map from him, as well as Dan's schedule, and glanced over it.

 Phil stayed silent for a few moments before speaking up, "Your first class is right behind you," Phil raised an eyebrow at Dan as he pointed over Dan's shoulder to what Dan assumed to be a building.

 Dan's assumptions were proven correct when he turned around and saw a big building with students roaming around. Dan felts his face began to heat up as he took his things back from Phil, muttering a thank you.

 He glanced behind him and brought his hand up to wave as he headed towards the building only to find Phil had already left. Ignoring the speck of disappointment in his chest, he turns back around and heads to class.

 

 Dan would've liked to say that classes absolutely sucked, and that he'd never go back, and then head on home forgetting about his goals and strange roommate. However, if he said that, he'd be lying to himself. Classes weren't actually that bad, considering that same woman he'd seen earlier that morning had sat next to him, and the most they did in class was go over the rubric.

 "Oh, it's you again! Dan, right?" She'd greeted cheerfully when he came into the room.

 Dan was worried he wouldn't be able to find a good seat and would end up struggling to hear the teacher while sitting next to some weirdo who would keep sniffing him or something. He was fully prepared to resign to that fate, as well, till he made eye contact with Louise. 

 He sat next to her and they talked until the teacher arrived. Louise was the type of person you could talk to easily, without any awkward silences or lulls in conversation. She seemed so carefree; Dan really felt as if he had a connection with her. 

 Now, don't get him wrong, he really likes this girl, but in a best friend sort of way. She had that aura around her that makes you want to sit down, curl up into some blankets and pillows with your head on her lap, and tell her all of your problems. Of course, Dan wasn't going to do that, because that would be beyond awkward, even for her, but the sentiment still stands.

 Over the course of the class period, he learned that she was a painter, a mother, and nearly as awkward as he was. She was an instant friend, and Dan couldn't imagine his first day here having gone any better. They exchanged room numbers and phone numbers before they parted to go to their other classes. 

 His next couple classes flew by, not much work being done, until finally he was able to take a lunch break. He wouldn't have another class for about an hour, so he decided to go ahead and get some takeout, go home, and relax a little. He thought briefly about getting something for Phil, too, but he didn't know what the guy liked, he barely knew him at all, and he didn't want to waste his money on a person who wouldn't even appreciate it. 

 So, with that thought in mind, he ordered a personal pizza and headed back to the dorm. He climbed the stairs to his dorm room floor. Voices flooded the hall and Dan simply assumed one of the neighbouring dorms had guests over or was throwing a mini party. As he got closer to his dorm, the louder the voices got. Dan's stomach started to twist with nervousness when he recognized one of the voices as Phil's.

 Did Phil really have people over? Who were they? What if they hated Dan? What if they were evil? What would they do to him? Dan put his brain on halt right there. He was being so judgmental. Everything he stood for was against judging people based off their appearances or friends. So what if Phil had people over? They were probably nice. Dan was lying to himself, but it was better than assuming their personalities and becoming terrified again. So Dan pushed open the door and stepped inside, keeping his gaze fixed onto his side of he room. The talking in the room immediately stopped.

 Then, he heard a light chuckle, causing him to look over at Phil's side of the room for the source of the sound. There were two other guys sitting next to Phil on his bed. One had bright green eyes and curly, brown hair, while the other had hazel eyes and a short, straight brown fringe. The former had on a dark red sweatshirt with the collar of a white button-up underneath. The other guy, though, had on a simple black jacket over a green 'Boys on Tour' t-shirt. They looked almost nothing alike.

 The one with the jacket leaned forward a bit, smirking at Dan, "Hello there. Your Philly's roommate huh? We've heard a lot about you," the guy very obviously checked Dan out, "Nice flower crown, by the way,"

 Dan's face flushed and he stayed there, staring. Who were these guys? Did they just call Phil  _Philly?_   Was Phil talking about him? Dan didn't have too much time to ponder on the questions as the guy with the green eyes rolled his eyes, pushing the other one off the bed.

 "I'm sorry about him. He's Chris and he likes to creep people out," The guy shoots Chris a glare before turning back to Dan, "I'm PJ. We're friends with Phil," PJ smiles and slings an arm over Phil's shoulder to prove his point.

 Phil simply grunts and removes PJ's arm, looking anywhere but at Dan. Usually this would annoy him, but instead he finds himself intrigued. He barely knows Phil and already he has an abundant amount of questions. He doesn't dare ask them out loud, though, as who knows what would happen to him.

 Chris climbs back up onto the bed and slings an arm around PJ's waist. Before the have a chance to say something, Dan turns around and retreats to his side of the room, where he pulls out his laptop and sits on the bed. It's silent for a few more moments as he gets comfy and starts to eat, but soon the conversation is picking up again and their chatting away.

 The only difference this time, though, is that Phil is silent. He sneaks a glance over to them to find Phil staring at him. Immediately, the punk turns his head away from him, a light pink dusting his cheeks. Ignoring it, Dan turns back to his laptop. 

 Chris and PJ finally leave about five minutes before he has to get up and leave as well. Dan had been hoping for some relaxation time back at the dorm before he'd have to go back to class, but Chris kept bugging him, asking him stupid questions about his preference in clothing and whether or not he would fuck Nick Jonas (the answer was yes but he sure as hell wouldn't tell Chris that).

 Phil didn't talk very much the entire time, and it made Dan very uncomfortable. So he decided to risk his pride and self-confidence by speaking up after Chris and PJ had already left.

 "So, who was that?"

Phil simply looked at him. Instead of shying away, this time, Dan held his gaze. They sat there staring at each other for what felt like hours before Phil finally rolled his eyes and sighed. Dan was fixing to sigh in defeat and gather his things for class when the other spoke up.

"They're my friends. I thought that was pretty obvious," Phil turned his attention back to his laptop.

Dan blinked in surprise and, after a moment or two, started to chuckle. Dan hadn't been expecting a reply, and certainly not a sassy one. Everybody who knew Dan had gotten used to his sarcastic comments and sass, but Dan had never gotten it back. Phil turned to him with an eyebrow raised, confusion written on his features. Dan continued to laugh the more he thought about it, and soon he was on the floor heaving.

 Dan turned so he was facing Phil, and caught the punk with his face turned towards the wall, a hand covering his smile. For some reason, seeing Phil trying not to laugh sparked a whole new bout of laughter in Dan. The pastel boy was wheezing, his mouth open in laughter but not making a sound. His whole body was rocking with it, and that's when he heard it.

 A snort followed by bouts of giggles. Dan thought he himself was the one making the noises until he focused on Phil and saw the punk with a huge smile on his face, giggling.

 Dan felt a spark of warmth in his chest that bloomed throughout his entire body at the sight and the sound. Phil's smile was beautiful, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth and smile stretching so wide it made wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

 Phil quickly caught himself though and forced the smile down, clearing his throat as his face turned red.

 Dan calmed down a little bit too, laying on the floor and catching his breath for a while. Dan's stomach ached, as this was the most exercise he'd gotten in a while.

 When he finally regained composure and sat up, another five minutes had gone by. He stood up and checked his watch, his eyes widening.

 "Shit! I'm going to be late!" Dan scrambled to gather his things and fled the dorm room, without so much as a glance behind him.

 He was ten minutes late when he finally got into class, and he could feel everyone's eyes on him, locking him into place. He felt a blush creeping up his neck and looked down at his feet to try and hide it. His legs took him to one of the seats in the very back, as those were all that was left. He sat down and got out his notes, straining to hear what the professor was saying.

 "Hey, aren't you Phil's roommate?" A familiar sounding voice whispered from beside him.

 Dan looked up to once again see the green eyes and curly hair he'd been greeted with when he left for lunch earlier.

 "Oh, yeah. Hi. PJ, right?" PJ nods his head "Yeah. Um, if you don't mind my asking, what's your name? We never really got properly introduced,"

 "Right, yeah, sorry. My name's Dan," He eyed the other man for a second, a little confused. He seemed really nice, so why would he be hanging out with Phil and Chris? They aren't exactly the epitome of friendliness.

 "By the way, Chris isn't _always_ like that. Just most of the time," PJ smiled a little fondly, looking down at his hands. Dan suddenly had some questions.

 "Are you two a couple?" Dan questioned, raising an eyebrow at PJ's fond smile.

 PJ blushed bright red and lowered his head to inspect the wood of the desk, "No, what makes you say that?"

 Dan only smiled and shook his head, "Oh nothing,"

 PJ looked up and glared at him playfully before returning to his notes.

 PJ is nice, decided Dan. He wouldn't mind being friends with him. He still doesn't know about the other one, Chris, but he likes PJ.

 Looking down at his notes, he finds he can't concentrate when he starts to wonder what PJ, Chris, and Phil all have in common. Why are they friends? They seem so different, and why was Phil so rude most of the time? What did they see in him? What did Phil see in them?

 Class went a lot faster than Dan had realized, and the lack of notes reminded Dan of why it went so fast. He had to get out of his head or he'd end up spacing out the entire year. Dan sighs and stands up, gathering his things and heading back home.

 Home.

 Could he really call his dorm home? He hadn't been there a week, and he didn't even really know the guy he was staying with. That's not exactly his definition of home.

 He decides not to think about it when that longing feeling comes back, only this time accompanied with a certain dread, a sickly feeling, that weighs down his gut. Instead, he focuses on the dorm building in front of him and the sound his feet make when they hit the carpet inside.

 Walking up to their shared dorm, he starts to feel exhausted, his feet like bricks and his head a bowling ball. He opens the door and walks in, immediately going over to his bed and collapsing on it.

 Sleep creeps up faster than he can comprehend, and soon, the world around him turns into a meaningless blur of sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, I'll try and go back tomorrow to fix all the mistakes. Please let me know if you like it, and I'll have another chapter out as soon as possible!

**Author's Note:**

> If you guys have any recommendations, I'm all ears! Thanks for reading to the end of the first chapter, and if you want more please comment so I know. I have a hard time sitting down and writing even though I love to do it, so pester me if I get slow with updates!


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